Predictions Big and Small (With Evidence to Support)

With E3 closing in on us and with us not knowing if we will see anything of Metroid Prime 4, whether that be gameplay/story trailer, a teaser, or any interviews without any true updates on the game.

I've seen some people speculating on the story and the actual game of Prime 4, but I've noticed a lot of people don't do a lot of in-depth research or connecting dots, so I'm deciding to throw my hat in the ring.

Before I start this, let me say, I'm just as much in the dark as an average, un-jurnalistic, hyped person as anyone else here. I have no connections to any game studio or leakers. If anything I say shows up or comes true... It's coincidental, not a game leak in disguise.

Here's a list of each section I will speculate on, sources for any proof will be included at the bottom of the section.

Characters

Minor Gameplay

Mechanics

Minor Story Elements

Major Story Elements

Random Things

Characters

Of course we will play as Samus Aran, the main character as main character as you can get.
We will be going against Sylux as a main antagonist, as proven by MP3 and MPFF as well as Tanabe has confirmed in an interview or two.
Other characters may include Ridley, because it's Ridley, a mention of Dark Samus, and some mention to minor characters in the entire Metroid universe. I highly doubt Adam will be referenced or Anthony. Admiral Dane might make a cameo appearance being in a voice call or on a video call, or being the initiator of the entire mission.sources

Due to the Switch's special ability of being a handheld and home console, detachable controllers and such, controlling Samus should seem to be more aligned with how Prime 1&2 Samus was controlled.

But, I do think some type of motion controls will be introduced, or something close to gyroscopic aiming in handheld mode, similar to the 3DS aiming on MPFF, albeit toned down quite a bit.

Sources
This is more speculation and common sense than hard evidence. Motion controls could be dropped entirely or not, Prime 1&2 controls could be dropped for a new control scheme, it really is just a choice by the developers.

Mechanics

All items except specific suits (like the PED suit) will return in Prime 4, a new suit may be introduced that will make gameplay slightly different with a new gimmick.

Also, along with the control possibilities, detached joy-cons might have more of a purpose or extra gimmick in this game.

A possibility of a new weapon system and travel system.

I have a reason to believe that there will be multiple planets in Prime 4, with you visiting each planet multiple times after Sylux has gone and opened a path or your upgrades allow you to move forward.

Scanning will return. It's scanning.

sources

Multiple planets has been based off the fact that the last three prime games (MPFF, MP3, and MPH) has had the ability to travel to multiple planets and MP2 having an alternate world.

Scanning. It's scanning.

Minor Story Elements

The Federation will be commanding Samus on her mission, that being:

Sylux has stolen a newly hatched metroid off of a Federation Ship after the Federation Force had secured it and eliminated the threat of a rogue AI Unit and the Space Pirates. Sylux could have teamed up with the Space Pirates and turned the metroid over, synthesized phazon may be available, leading to a deadly combination.

Or something along those lines. Sylux and the Space Pirates will make multiple appearances through out the game trying to stop the player from continuing forward.

The first cutscene you see will more than likely be Sylux stealing the metroid egg and him running off.

Through out the game, if we are aboard a Federation ship, story recaps on MPFF and MP3 will be present, recounting Samus' role and might even include info on the Hunters from MPH.

The main focus of the story will be stopping the Space Pirates and Sylux from creating a monster from metroid hatchling. If the game is open world (Mario and Zelda have been, and Pokémon is rumored to be open world) then side missions will be available for the player to take. Side missions could include:

Shutting down Space Pirate facilities

Spying on suspicious figures that could be helping Sylux
Or

Stealth sections similar to Assassin's Creed in following characters listening to a conversation while also be as inconspicuous as possible

If the game is not open world, there will be more "optional" paths option. You can chose to take out research facilities that belong to the Space Pirates to gain info on main bosses.

Final boss may be Sylux or a "reincarnated" Metroid Prime.

Sources

Story is pulled from a possibility of directions, the story is quite litterally a large variable and this is more of a decent chance of happening story idea.

Sylux is not a friend of the Federation.

Random Things

There really is no proof to these items, these are more of a wishlist or extra things. Spoilers for MPFF.

We see how Samus gets captured for mind control and becomes final boss of MPFF. This intrigues me the most. I must know.

There's a multiplayer mode "similar" to hunters.

Travel between planets is like Mass Effect's travel between planets bit fuel is removed for ship upgrades along the way. Also, no mass relays lol

Let me know what you think about this and anything you would want to change or evolve more. This is fairly bare bones and also a safe prediction with a few what elements thrown in.

While the stealth mechanic would be great for the Metroid series to develop (Metroid Zero Mission being the last one to do something to the effect in 2D, and then the Morph Ball being the proxy for such gimmicks in the Prime games), I highly doubt Nintendo will be innovative enough to give the fans what they want in these terms. As such, I fear that the most we'd get in terms of stealth-like sequences, would be limited to what we had received in the beginning portion of Metroid Prime 3 Corruption's Pirate Homeworld level: Morph Balling under the floors of the Pirates, sneaking across a room that was just made vacant by all Pirates, and dropping through ventilation shafts. And then being uncovered by cutscene, blowing your cover and turning it back into an assault mission.

As for controls, well...
Nintendo Labo Arm Cannon props, anyone?
But seriously, the motion controls might receive more treatment similar to the New Motion Control upgrade that MP1 and Echoes received. However, I do easily see the Grapple Lasso being brought back, and perhaps with more control, since both Left and Right Joycons have gyroscopic controls that could be utilized.
Also, Amiibo.
Also also, Aeion. Let's just see.

What I'm mostly concerned about is timeline placement. We have yet to have a true bridge between the Prime series and Metroid 2 (now Samus Returns), but MP4 might help provide that. In the prologue to Samus Returns, the Federation council deem it necessary to order the genocide of the Metroid race, sending scientists, then soldiers, to SR388. It's possible that the Federation might be involved in the narrative within MP4, since the council thinks that it's enough for them to send scientists to destroy the Metroids. Perhaps Samus helps train soldiers and/or scientists in how to dispatch of Metroids?
Maybe, if Sylux taking the Metroid from Fed Force is any indication as to the story of MP4, then the progression of the story should lead to that inevitable conclusion: the Metroids are too dangerous to leave alive on SR388, and they must be destroyed. And this elite team of scientists is enough to eliminate them. (Also, soldiers sent later to supplement and rescue those scientists.) And if both of those options fail, there's Samus.

@miles07 I do see them evolving the stealth system more, maybe slightly though, a new suit or aeion (if brought back) ability to blend in with your surroundings for a short period of time. It works decently well to evolve the stealth system, and gives players slightly more options.

Controls do seem to vary since there are multiple ways to control games now, and they could easily have gamecube controller support because of the adapter. But that is their call.

Also, with the way Samus' suit looks in MSR, I have no doubt they'll try and make the games finally connect... But prime isn't canon because Sakamoto tries very hard to write them out, but MSR has shown a lot of wiggle room for prime to come in. A lot of stuff Other M does have to be retconned if that is the case.

@miles07 yeah, and the suit could just add a few patterns all around the suit, barely noticeable but also noticeable in that it looks elegant or change up the color of something that it would "activate" from. So like the cast piece being like a silver color or something.

Bump.
I think mechanically, we might be similar overhaul to BotW. Nintendo is going to find a simple set of mechanics that make the game what it is (like shooting, rolling, and scanning) and milk each of them to the maximum potential that they can be fun. This might mean some things get chopped, we see some new things, or some things might be totally revamped to be less like keys for locks and more like tools for puzzles (maybe Grapple Beam or Missiles).

Also, hopefully the lighting won't be godawful and I'll be able to see where things are.